Party Pooper Parks

Many people like a gin and tonic or a pina colada in the summer. Many say there’s nothing like sipping on a summer drink with a kick while watching the waves crash lightly on the beach. Can’t you just picture that? Well, scratch that vision if you were thinking of stopping by one of the concessions for an adult beverage not called wine or beer.

You know, every party has a pooper. And this pooper is The Parks Department. Parks has told the concessions they can’t sell liquor this summer. They’ve got to stick to beer and wine. According to reports, the lifeguards or lifeguard bosses were in favor of the ban and got the Parks Department to issue its ban.

The thing is, liquor used to be sold after lifeguards went OFF duty. Before the ban, liquor was sold only after 6 p.m. when the PEP officers patrol the beaches. PEP officers are in charge of keeping people out of the water, whether those people have consumed alcohol or not.

No one thinks it’s a good idea to mix liquor and swimming. But again, the liquor being served was being served after swimming hours.

The concessions are in business. They make a better profit on liquor than they do on beer and wine. Parks is really just making business tougher for these people who have to do a year’s worth of business in three months. Parks says no liquor sales yet anyone with a thirst can walk half a block and order a drink and then go back on the beach. Others can pour straight vodka into water bottles and bring that on to the beach.

If somebody wants to order a pina colada and sit on the boardwalk after 6 p.m., they should be allowed to do just that.

The Community Board approved the sale of liquor at the concessions. The State Liquor Authority approved it. Parks should go have a drink and relax.